IT has been a hectic couple of weeks for Burton Albion defender Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, writes Tom Sloan.

He became a father for the fourth time before helping the Brewers beat Championship side Wigan 2-1 in the Capital One Cup.

In the intervening week there was little sleep and not much training for the 31-year-old – but the arrival of baby boy Chase was worth the struggle.

"It's been a mad few days," said the centre-half on Tuesday night.

"This time last week I was sat on a hospital chair deciding whether or not to stay in for the night!

"I was sat on a chair that was quite stiff and I had one of those rubber balls you see in physio rooms as a footstool type of thing.

"To go from that to a great home performance against Wigan in a week is fantastic.

"And now I can have my own five-a-side team – but I'll be going in goal!"

Older sister Karen is over from Australia to help look after Cansdell-Sherriff's three older sons as his other half, Clare, recovers.

With not a lot of family living locally, it will help him concentrate on his football and get over a stop-start pre-season.

"It's been a bit frustrating this pre-season because I've had a couple of niggles, nothing major, but little niggles which have pulled me out of the odd game here and there," he said.

"The last one against Stoke I had to pull out to make sure I was ready for the season.

"Then the baby came along as well, so I missed most of the last week of training.

"It's been a bit frustrating, but it was great to play against Wigan and get 90 minutes under my belt and start building some fitness."

The win over the Latics will go down as one of the most memorable of Cansdell-Sherriff's career and he says the players had the belief they could get something against a side with aspirations of a Premier League return this season.

"It's up there," he said. "To play a good side like them and come out on top, especially after being 1-0 down, was fantastic.

"The crowd were fantastic as well, really got behind us, and I had my family here as well. It shows the mentality of the players and the way we were set up.

"The manager and coaching staff set us up in a way to frustrate them, but also to give us a great chance in the game.

"The belief is definitely there and the mentality and characters in the team are fantastic.

"We've got a great balance. Everyone is having a good laugh, even when we've had hard sessions.

"Everyone is mucking in together and backing each other all the time."